- RTÉ to broadcast Service of Remembrance at 11.30am on Sunday
Saint Michael’s Parish, Enniskillen, together with other churches in Enniskillen, will take an active part in the various events on Sunday 11 November to commemorate the centenary of the of the Armistice which brought the First World War to an end in 1918. Enniskillen was the first town on the island to publicly proclaim the Armistice in 1918 and on this occasion it will be the most westerly location in Europe to host “Battle’s Over”, a national tribute commemorating one hundred years of remembrance.
Monsignor Peter O’Reilly, the Parish Priest of Saint Michael’s Enniskillen & Lisbellaw, and Archdeacon of the Diocese of Clogher, will be present at the wide range of events in Enniskillen on Sunday. The events will begin at 6.00am in Enniskillen Castle, where special lamps will be presented to each of the churches in Enniskillen. Monsignor O’Reilly will also be participating in a short prayer service at the War Memorial in Belmore Street just before 11.00am. This will be followed by a Service of Remembrance in Saint Macartin’s Cathedral, during which Monsignor O’Reilly will read from the Gospel according to John 15.
At 6.00pm on Sunday, the Liturgy of Evening Prayer will be celebrated in Saint Michael’s Church. The special guest will be Viscount Alan Brookeborough, who is Queen Elizabeth II’s Lord Lieutenant for County Fermanagh. He will be accompanied by Viscountess Brookeborough, together with Cadet WO Ciara McHugh and Cadet CSM Peter Watson. The attendance will also include the Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, Right Rev John McDowell, and the leaders of the other Christian Churches in Enniskillen. Also in attendance will be Cllr Howard Thornton, the Chairperson of Fermanagh & Omagh District Council; Arlene Foster MLA; Bryan Wockley, the Deputy US Counsel General and his wife Sarah; Jerome Mullen, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland and his wife Margaret; and John Jones, Chairman of the Royal British Legion.
Each church community will then take part in the ‘Service of Light’ by carrying the symbolic lamp, presented to them earlier in Enniskillen Castle, across the street as a prelude to the lighting of a beacon in the grounds of Saint Macartin’s Cathedral. The event will also feature the participation of Fermanagh Massed Pipes and Drums. A bugle, provided by the Inniskillings Museum, will sound the Last Post before Viscount Brookeborough lights the beacon.
During the week Monsignor O’Reilly; the Church of Ireland Dean of Clogher the Very Rev Kenneth Hall; the Rev David Cupples, Presbyterian Church; and the Rev Lorna Dreaning, Methodist Church, attended a Service of Remembrance at Enniskillen Royal School, at which Rev Dreaning was the preacher. There was also a representation from Saint Michael’s College which is a Catholic Diocesan College which has a longstanding partnership with Enniskillen Royal School in the area of peace studies.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher encompasses all of Co Monaghan, most of Fermanagh and portions of Tyrone, Donegal, Louth and Cavan. It has a Catholic population of 88,000, across 37 parishes, which are served by 58 priests and 2 deacons. There are 85 churches in the diocese. Monsignor Joseph McGuinness is the Diocesan Administrator of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clogher, pending the appointment of a new bishop by Pope Francis. He is also the Administrator of the Parish of Tyholland, Co Monaghan.
- Saint Macartin’s Cathedral (Church of Ireland) and Saint Michael’s Church (Catholic) are on either side of Darling Street in Enniskillen. This ‘crossing of the street’ is emblematic of the journey of reconciliation; the street is the place into which our witness to Christ and his way must be brought.
- The Service of Remembrance from Saint Macartin’s Cathedral will be broadcast live on RTÉ One and RTÉ Radio 1 Extra / Long Wave 252 at 11.30am.
For media contact: Gary Carville, Diocesan Communications Officer for the Diocese of Clogher 00353 87 1767226 and 00353 47 81019
